Balalaika

with Jenya Kazantsev, who takes us on a genre-skipping tour of the instrument.
Find us on facebook: / thestringdom
Recorded: Kiev, May 2017.

[@bveracka]

This is one instrument I've wanted to learn for a _long_ time. It's particularly interesting to me as I play guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass and a few other strings. I'm glad that you found a very well educated balalaika player. Great stuff 👍

[@mandolinic]

Thin metal strings but no plectrum. Presumably you spend 30 minutes after each gig cleaning off the blood.

[@TheStringdom]

Mandolinic I guess so! The tone is quite remarkable though, quite warm!

[@jameskoleff6281]

It's not hard to play, I play balalaika and I've never bled once playing it.

[@bveracka]

I play steel string guitar with no pick/plectrum and I've never had any problems. A slap bass player probably suffers more injuries than a balalaika player.

[@returnofthedoggo7994]

from my research, you can play the balalaika with a plectrum, however traditionally, plectrums were never used to play the instrument

[@returnofthedoggo7994]

@@BlackLotusVisualArchive alright well, i guess i dont really know too much about the balalaika and its history. i stumbled across this video cuz' i'm trying to learn how to play and uhhh i dunno i just found it interesting. and yeah, i guess i didnt really research anything, just opened up a new tab and googled it really quick.

[@danyjr]

Incredibly wonderful view. I wish you still made videos, they were so good ☹

[@nomiss1015]

I loved the vibrato part. So cool!

[@MrPHart]

So I live in the middle of New Mexico, USA and I've only seen one Balalaika in a music store in Santa Fe, NM, but never heard one played in a band or solo. I think I would enjoy more music here in NM from Russia with or without love, gracias!

[@TheStringdom]

Mr. P. Hart from Russia with love always I'm sure! Thanks for watching!

[@AncientDirtbag]

Shredding like that and without a pick, great technique!

[@fuzzonthemountain6272]

I just had to give you the thumb up, just because of his laugh while he is playing :D

[@spriggan1437]

What an interesting video! Your channel is criminally underrated.

[@BalalaikaSV]

Приезжай в Краснодар! Расскажу немного про балалайку!

[@hustlinc3540]

the best channel on YT

[@gxtmfa]

I’ve definitely seen they’re videos online. Bryat makes a good argument for balalaika being used in new contexts.

[@fenderplayer2355]

I am not sure if it is profitable to argue over the origins off the Saz. I would think that there WERE similar instruments in the area BEFORE the advent of the Turks in the region. There are wall paintings from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia which feature instruments which LOOK like a saz, a long necked Lute.. The playing style however is what I have heard from Turkish and Kurdish players and the characteristics of the instrument seem to be those developed by these peoples. I heard Saz music like that performed by Mr. Ozdemir YEARS ago on an album called Traditional Folk Music of Turkey and I have been looking for it for a long time. I absolutely LOVE this style of Saz/Baglama playing. By coincidence, My own family is in Part from the same area of Anatolia where Mr. Ozdemir is from. My family are descendants of Aegean Greeks. We have an uneasy history with the Turks and they have MUCH to atone for. The fact that I find this music so appealing is fascinating. Did this music survive in us past our exile? The Greek Bouzouki is a descendant/variant of the saz and we even have an instrument called the Baglama, which was from the Turks, which plays a completely different role than the Baglama in Turkish music. We also play the Saz and call it Sazi. Mr. Ozdemir's warm and friendly character and personality shine through this GREAT interview and performance. I learned ALOT from this video about this instrument and the complexity of regional styles, fretting, etc. yuo conducted a GREAT interview, you really knew what questions to ask and Mr. Ozdemirs patient and very comprehensive and sophisticated answers were Terrific to see and hear. I so much enjoyed this video, I got to rediscover this wondeful style of playing. ALSO... The translations of his songs were wonderful. He played with such soul, it was very interesting to see the accompanying libretto. It really sounded like Persian love poetry, which has much influenced Turkish poetry and music. Thank you sir, for bringing this music to us AND also to Mr. Ozdemir for his great musicianship and very instructive discussions of this wonderful instrument and music. MUSIC survives and unites us.

[@balalaikabeginner]

Very well made and informative video!

[@TheStringdom]

Thank you for watching! :)

[@VladimirPudding331]

I love this instrument, I wish I had one.. it's very expensive for me 😂 but I will definitely get one, one day 😁

[@fabianpatrizio2865]

I was given a Balalaika but have no idea how to play :) I'm just starting with a few simple chirds etc...... (I'm in Australia) cheers!

[@plum_line]

He was using all metal strings? Not two nylon and one metal?

[@srenhaandbk7904]

Bibs the Balalaika man says: The Russians have a special remedy for this (fingertips are hurting). They call it vodka.

[@zanflorjanc7856]

Very cool, thank you for posting!

[@TheStringdom]

Thank you for watching!

[@MjTink]

I love how he plays!! Does anybody know if I can get a Balalaika in Germany or in Poland?

[@joshuapackbier7798]

Lots of people you can buy them off of for a cheap price second hand.

[@sergio_bolotini]

Thanks man!!! U r the best!!!

[@benprout8535]

How would you go about spelling the name of the band? is it in Ukrainian/Russian?

[@TheStringdom]

Ben Prout the band is called bryats band, they have a ton of good stuff up on KZbin!

[@luluflowers9277]

Thank you for your great performance! Can Balalaika play in any keys like F#m or G#m etc? Just like the other western classical instruments? Is it diatonic or chromatic? Thanks!

[@TheStringdom]

Yes, it's a chromatic instrument :)

[@hifijohn]

Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out Come and keep your comrade warm

[@ogryzka5676]

Great channel ! Subscribed ❤

[@thorunmjolniri]

I love balyaka

[@priBalt148]

Russian gusli , will be a review ?

[@TheStringdom]

I hope so! When I am there next, I'll do my best to find one! Thanks for watching!

[@priBalt148]

@@TheStringdom I'm talking about the "Russian psaltery". There are about 10 species!(in the territory) moscsp.ru/gusli-istoriya-drevnego-instrumenta-gusli-istoriya-video-interesnye.html moscsp.ru/gusli-opisanie-instrumenta-yazycheskie-prazdniki-drevnei.html

[@asgerzr6646]

Great success

[@thomasszejnmann3917]

It is so sad to hear Ukrainians from the western parts of the country talk about Russians. I myself also made the experience more than 10 years ago in Lviv: people insulted me because I could not speak ukrainian but only russian (I am German). War always has it´s roots ...

[@gentlegeri9858]

Interesting about the vibrato, i never thought about that!

[@burkhardstackelberg1203]

So, Russian / Ukrainian folk as we know today took much of its shape in the 19th century: instrumentation, harmony etc...

[@КириллКувинов-ь5к]

Woops, a mistake, my good sir! It's a bayan, not accordion ) Tho the difference isn't that big)

[@πλούσιομετάλλιο-ι6ν]

Spanish tuning returned

[@kingcon05]

What size balalaika is this?

[@lemagicbaguette1917]

That is a prima balalaika.

[@Julian-dm5lu]

Borat! 8:02

[@AlexisTatarinov]

Дожили... О хорошем украинском коллективе узнаю из англоязычных источников.

[@jkh778]

guitars can do vibrato.

[@sakonbutthead9829]

Bandurria

[@sashafetisov2000]

00:05 - bandura

[@curvingfyre6810]

0:05 what is THAT???

[@sashafetisov2000]

bandura

[@MrKatajisto]

Too much jagging...

[@Wabin22]

1:16 So... the balalaika was a drunk person with a crazy hat and a.. bear?

[@eugeneross6624]

Слава Україні!

[@gionibegood6950]

politics and brain washing again

[@jenn1214]

? It’s a video about a musical instrument, hows political?